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United States Patent |
6,056,411
|
Blevins
|
May 2, 2000
|
Realignment device for vehicle side mirror
Abstract
A device is provided for use in aligning an exterior mirror of a vehicle to
a preestablished position. The device includes an alignment sight
securable relative to the mirror to selectively target a fixed member of
the vehicle. A mechanism attaches the alignment sight to the mirror, and a
device is provided for pivoting the alignment sight in its attached
position relative to the mirror in at least two planes. Finally, a
mechanism is provided for selectively fixing the pivotal position of the
alignment sight relative to the mirror upon targeting the sight to a fixed
vehicle member when the mirror is in its preselected position. In one
embodiment of the present invention, the alignment sight is adapted to
also form a whistle designed to emit sounds at wavelengths audible to
animals as air passes therethrough.
Inventors:
|
Blevins; Jeffrey A. (1293 Road 117, Glenwood Springs, CO 81601)
|
Appl. No.:
|
882187 |
Filed:
|
June 25, 1997 |
Current U.S. Class: |
359/838; 359/871 |
Intern'l Class: |
G02B 005/08 |
Field of Search: |
359/838,871
340/384.1,384.2
116/22 A,24
119/719
|
References Cited
U.S. Patent Documents
2360368 | Oct., 1944 | Rubissow | 33/264.
|
4257706 | Mar., 1981 | Smith | 33/264.
|
4730926 | Mar., 1988 | Wedemeyer | 33/264.
|
4971430 | Nov., 1990 | Lynas | 359/877.
|
5122910 | Jun., 1992 | Polanyi et al. | 359/865.
|
5224270 | Jul., 1993 | Burrus | 33/264.
|
5237458 | Aug., 1993 | Polanyi et al. | 359/839.
|
5500773 | Mar., 1996 | Easter | 359/838.
|
Primary Examiner: Spyrou; Cassandra
Assistant Examiner: Cherry; Euncha
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Isaac; John L.
Isaac & Associates
Claims
I claim:
1. A device for use in aligning an exterior mirror of a vehicle to a
preestablished mirror position, said device comprising:
an alignment sight securable relative to said mirror to selectively target
a fixed member of the vehicle extrinsic to said mirror;
means for attaching said alignment sight to said mirror;
means for pivoting said alignment sight in its attached position relative
to said mirror in at least two planes; and
means for selectively fixing the pivotal position of said alignment sight
relative to said mirror upon targeting said sight to said fixed vehicle
member at said preestablished mirror position, said exterior mirror being
realignable to said preestablished mirror position by adjustment of the
mirror position to re-target said alignment sight in its fixed position to
the selected fixed vehicle member.
2. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said attachment means includes
means for moving said alignment sight between a first operating position
disposed outside the perimeter of the exterior mirror to permit targeting
of a fixed vehicle member extrinsic to said mirror and a second stored
position which does not block the mirrored surface of said exterior
mirror.
3. The device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the second stored position of
said alignment sight is at the rear surface of the mirror.
4. The device as claimed in claim 3, wherein said attachment means
comprises an attachment arm having a mounting end and a distal end with
said attachment arm distal end carrying said alignment sight, said
attachment means further including means for securing said attachment arm
mounting end to the rear portion of said mirror to permit movement of said
alignment sight and attachment arm between said operating position and
said stored position.
5. The device as claimed in claim 4, wherein said attachment means further
includes an attachment plate secured to the rear portion of said mirror,
said attachment arm mounting end being pivotally secured to said
attachment plate, said attachment arm being of sufficient length to
project said alignment sight beyond the perimeter of said mirror when said
arm and said sight are in said operating position, and to pivot said sight
about said attachment plate to move said sight into its stored position
behind said mirror.
6. The device as claimed in claim 5, wherein said attachment means further
includes means for releasably securing said attachment arm in its stored
position wherein said arm is disposed proximate the rear surface of said
exterior mirror.
7. The device as claimed in claim 4, wherein said attachment means further
includes a slide channel disposed in the rear portion of said mirror, said
channel being sized and shaped to receive said attachment arm alignment
sight, and means for moving said attachment arm mounting end lengthwise
along said channel to move said sight into said channel for said stored
position and out of said channel projecting beyond the perimeter of said
mirror for said operating position.
8. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said attachment means
comprises a frame member disposed about the perimeter of said exterior
mirror, said sight being secured to said frame and projecting outwardly
from the periphery of said mirror.
9. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said attachment means
comprises an adjustable clamp disposed across the rear surface of said
exterior mirror, said alignment sight being secured to said clamp and
projecting outwardly from the periphery of said mirror.
10. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said attachment means
comprises a notch disposed along the outer edge of said mirror sized and
shaped to incorporate said alignment sight therein as an integral
component of said mirror.
11. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said pivot means comprises a
ball joint wherein said sight rotates 360.degree. in one plane and pivots
at least a few degrees in all directions.
12. The device as claimed in claim 11, wherein said ball joint comprises a
ball disposed in a socket, and wherein said means for selectively fixing
the pivotal position of said alignment sight comprises a screw member
disposed for selective tightening in said socket against said ball to fix
the position of said sight relative to said attachment means.
13. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said position fixing means
comprises a screw member adapted to selectively tighten against said pivot
means to maintain said alignment sight in a preselected targeting position
relative to said mirror.
14. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said alignment sight
comprises a tubular member having at least two fins arranged crosswise to
each other therewithin to form cross-hair sighting members for targeting
the fixed vehicle member as well as to form a whistle designed to emit
sounds at wave lengths audible to animals as air passes through said
tubular member.
15. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said attachment means
comprises a self-sticking plate for attachment to said mirror.
16. A device for realigning a vehicle exterior mirror to a pre-established
position, said device comprising:
an alignment sight mountable to the mirror to selectively target a fixed
member of the vehicle extrinsic to said mirror;
mounting means for securing said alignment sight to the mirror for movement
between an operating position for targeting the fixed vehicle member and a
stored position behind the rear surface of the mirror to prevent the
blocking of the mirrored surface of the mirror;
means for rotating and pivoting said alignment sight relative to said
mounting means in at least two planes to enable adjustment of said
alignment sight in its operating position to an orientation for targeting
the fixed vehicle member; and
means for securely stabilizing said alignment sight in a selected targeting
position relative to said mounting means and the mirror.
17. The device as claimed in claim 16, wherein said alignment sight is
sized and shaped to form a whistle designed to emit sounds at wave lengths
audible to animals as air passes therethrough.
18. The device as claimed in claim 16, wherein said mounting means
comprises an attachment arm having a distal end secured to said alignment
sight and an attachment end for movably mounting said arm to the rear
portion of the mirror for moving said alignment sight and attachment arm
between said operating position and said stored position.
19. The device as claimed in claim 18, wherein said mounting means further
comprises an attachment plate mounted to the rear surface of the mirror
and designed for pivotally securing the attachment end of said attachment
arm thereto for movement of said alignment sight between said operating
and said stored positions, said attachment arm being of sufficient length
to project said alignment sight beyond the outer circumference of said
mirror to its operating position.
20. The device as claimed in claim 18, wherein said mounting means further
comprises a channel disposed in the rear portion of the mirror and means
for slidingly securing the attachment end of said attachment arm for
movement along said channel to move said alignment sight between its
stored position within said channel and its operating position projecting
outside the perimeter of the mirror.
21. The device as claimed in claim 16, wherein said rotating and pivoting
means comprises a pivot joint disposed at the distal of said attachment
arm for securing said alignment sight to permit said alignment sight to
rotate 360.degree. in at least one plane and to pivot at least a few
degrees in all directions.
22. The device as claimed in claim 21, wherein said pivot joint comprises a
ball member disposed at the distal end of said attachment arm and a socket
disposed at one end of said alignment sight journaled over said attachment
arm ball member, and wherein said stabilizing means comprises a threadable
tightening member disposed in said socket to selectively permit movement
between said ball and socket or to stabilize said socket relative to said
ball.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to motor vehicle mirrors and, more
particularly, to mechanisms for adjusting them. Specifically, the present
invention relates to mechanisms which assist in aligning external vehicle
mirrors.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Motor vehicles commonly have exterior mirrors mounted on each side to
provide the operator of the vehicle with views both to the rear and sides
of the vehicle not otherwise readily within the field of vision.
Automobiles and trucks typically have two external mirrors, one on the
driver's side and a more remote mirror on the passenger side. These
mirrors are usually adjustable since the desired setting of a mirror is
determined by the size, needs and preferences of a particular vehicle
operator. Such mirrors frequently require realignment because they are
accidentally knocked or jarred out of the desired setting, or because of
the vehicle is operated by more than one individual thereby requiring
different settings.
The driver's side mirror is commonly within easy reach from the driver's
seat and so is susceptible to quick, unaided adjustment by a driver
remaining in the driver's seat during such adjustment. While the
adjustment and realignment of the driver's side external mirror may
require several attempts, as well as reaching out to the exterior of the
vehicle from the driver's seating position, this adjustment can
nonetheless be readily made. However, the passenger side mirror is usually
more remote and out of easy reach of a person sitting in the driver's
seat. Thus, it is difficult if not impossible for one person to view the
driver's perspective on the passenger's side mirror while simultaneously
twisting the remote passenger side mirror into a desired setting. As a
consequence, realigning the passenger side mirror requires the cooperation
of two people or, if only a single driver is available, a series of time
consuming trial and error adjustments. The adjustments require either
moving back and forth between the views from the driver's seat and the
passenger's seat from within the vehicle, or getting out of the vehicle to
the exterior mirror, making the adjustment, returning to the driver's
seat, and then repeating the same sequence of steps several times to
achieve the desired adjustment.
As a consequence of the difficulty and inconvenience of such trial and
error adjustments for the passenger side external mirror, a number of
devices have been created in an attempt to eliminate such difficulty and
inconvenience. U.S. Pat. No. 4,971,430 discloses a remote control mirror
targeting and repositioning system. Such remote control systems, however,
can be expensive and must be incorporated as part of the originally built
vehicle rather than added on after the vehicle has been built. Various
targeting systems are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,360,368, 4,257,706 and
5,224,270 for utilizing rearview mirrors more effectively. However, these
particular references do not disclose any device intended to obviate the
problems disclosed and discussed above.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,730,926, 5,122,910, 5,237,458 and 5,500,773 all disclose
devices that are intended to be utilized in conjunction with the side
mirror for targeting fixed portions of the vehicle for purposes of
adjusting and realigning the mirror. However, all of these devices require
at a 3-way reflector system in order to accomplish the goal of assisting
in realigning the external mirror once it has been knocked or jarred out
of its original desired setting. Such 3-way auxiliary mirror systems are
more complicated than necessary in order to accomplish the desired
purposes, thus increasing cost, increasing complexity of use, and
increasing potential of misalignment. Therefore, there is still a need for
a simple device which can be either incorporated as part of the original
vehicle or added as an after-market device which is designed for assisting
in easy realignment of exterior vehicle mirrors.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, one object of the present invention is to provide a device to
assist in realigning external vehicle mirrors.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an external mirror
targeting system for assisting in realigning the mirror, which targeting
system may be incorporated as part of the original mirror or added as an
after-market device.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a multi-purpose
device to help assist in realigning an external mirror as well as provide
a warning device for animals to prevent vehicle-animal collisions.
To achieve the foregoing and other objects and in accordance with the
purposes of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described
herein, a device is provided for use in aligning an exterior mirror of a
vehicle to a preestablished position. The device includes an alignment
sight securable relative to the mirror to selectively target a fixed
member of the vehicle. A mechanism attaches the alignment sight to the
mirror, and a device is provided for pivoting the alignment sight in its
attached position relative to the mirror in at least two planes. Finally,
a mechanism is provided for selectively fixing the pivotal position of the
alignment sight relative to the mirror upon targeting the sight to a fixed
vehicle member when the mirror is in its preselected position. In one
embodiment of the present invention, the alignment sight is adapted to
also form a whistle designed to emit sounds at wavelengths audible to
animals as air passes therethrough.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The accompanying drawings which are incorporated in and form a part of the
specification illustrate preferred embodiments of the present invention
and, together with a description, serve to explain the principles of the
invention. In the drawings:
FIG. 1 is a partial side schematic of an automobile illustrating one
embodiment of the present invention secured to the rear of an external
mirror;
FIG. 2 is a side schematic of the alignment device illustrated in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a rear schematic of the alignment device illustrated in FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is an enlarged, exploded view of the components of one embodiment of
the present invention;
FIG. 4A is a front elevation view of the alignment sight component
illustrated in FIG. 4;
FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4 with all
the components thereof put together;
FIG. 6 is a rear schematic of yet another embodiment of the alignment
device of the present invention in a stored position;
FIG. 7 is a rear schematic similar to that of FIG. 5 but illustrating the
alignment device in an operational position;
FIG. 8 is a rear schematic of another embodiment of the present invention
integrally mounted with external mirror;
FIG. 9 is rear schematic of still another embodiment of the present
invention secured to an external vehicle mirror;
FIG. 10 is a top schematic of the alignment device illustrated in FIG. 8;
FIG. 11 is a side schematic of still another embodiment of the alignment
device of the present invention in relation to an exterior mirror;
FIG. 12 is a front perspective view of the alignment device illustrated in
FIG. 10 mounted to the exterior mirror;
FIG. 13 is a side schematic view of the device illustrated in FIG. 11
mounted to an external vehicle mirror;
FIG. 14 is a side schematic view of yet another embodiment for mounting the
device of the present invention;
FIG. 15 is a top schematic view of the device illustrated in FIG. 14; and
FIG. 16 is a front schematic view of the device illustrated in FIG. 14.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring first to FIG. 1, a motor vehicle 10 typically includes an
exterior mirror 12 mounted to the side of the vehicle 10 proximate the
passenger side 14. The mirror 12 is designed to assist the driver of the
vehicle to see both behind the vehicle 10 as well as along side the
vehicle 10. Proper positioning of the mirror 12 is important so that the
driver can see the "blind spot" along the side portion of the vehicle 10.
If the proper position of the mirror 12 relative to a particular driver in
the vehicle 10 is accomplished, it is highly desirable to retain that
position. Unfortunately, as previously discussed, the mirror 12 is often
bumped or jolted so as twist it away from its desired preestablished
position for a particular driver. Prior to the present invention, a driver
had to get out of the vehicle, come around to the mirror, adjust it, go
back into the driver's side and repeat this process several times by trial
and error until the proper desired position was once again achieved.
To prevent the aforementioned problem, a mirror realignment device 16 is
secured to the mirror 12 and is designed, when in its operational position
as illustrated in FIG. 1, to target any selected fixed member on the
vehicle 10. By way of example, door lock button 18 is illustrated.
However, any fixed member on the vehicle 10, such as a door handle or the
like may be utilized with the device 16.
Referring now to FIGS. 2-5, one preferred embodiment of the present
invention is illustrated. In this embodiment, a realignment device 16 is
mounted to the rear or back portion 20 of the mirror 12 so as not to
interfere with the front reflective surface 22. The realignment device 16
includes an alignment sight 24, a mounting plate 26 and an attachment arm
28. The mounting plate 26 is preferably designed to be securely attached
to the rear surface 20 of the mirror 12. One end of the arm 28 is secured
to the plate 26 as described below, and the opposite distal end of the arm
28 is secured to the alignment sight 24. The alignment arm 28 is of
sufficient length so that the sight 24 is positioned below the mirror 22
in its operating position as illustrated in FIGS. 1-3. In this manner, the
sight 24 may be directly aligned with a selected fixed vehicle member such
as the lock button 18 of the vehicle 10. When the device 16 is not in use,
it may be pivoted to its stored position as illustrated by the dotted line
of FIG. 2 so that it is out of the way and not extending below the mirror
12 when the vehicle 10 is in operation.
This preferred embodiment of the present invention is more specifically
constructed by having a mounting arm 30 secured to the mounting end of the
alignment arm 28, The mounting arm 30 is pivotally secured to a pair of
brackets 32, 34 which are in turn secured to post 36, 38, respectively, on
the mounting plate 26. In this manner, the alignment arm 28 may be pivoted
180.degree. along the back of the mirror 12. A pair of catches 40, 42 are
provided on the plate 26 to securely lock the arm 28 in the stored
position, and the pair of catches 44, 46 are likewise provided on the
opposite end of the plate 26 to securely lock the arm 28 in its operating
position.
The alignment sight 24 is secured to the distal end of the arm 28 by a ball
joint mechanism. More specifically, a ball 48 is disposed at the distal
end of the arm 28. The alignment sight 24 includes a cylinder 50 and a
mounting socket 52 which is sized and shaped to receive the ball 48. The
ball 48 is fitted within the socket 52 so that the socket 52 may rotated
360.degree. about the ball 48 as well as pivot a few degrees in all
directions. In this manner, the cylinder 50 of the sight 24 may be moved
in a multitude of directions so as to align it with a desired fixed
vehicle member. Once the desired alignment is achieved, as described
below, a screw member in the form of a thumb-screw 54 is tightened against
the ball 48 within the socket 52 so as to secure the relative positions
between the ball 48 and the socket 52. When it is desired to change the
alignment of the sight 24, the thumbscrew 54 is loosened thereby allowing
free movement of the socket 52 about the ball 48.
The cylinder 50 of the alignment sight 24 includes a pair of fins or
dividers 56 and 58 which are aligned substantially perpendicular to each
other and extend across the diameter of the cylinder 50. In this manner,
the fins 56, 58 form a pair of cross-hairs for targeting a fixed vehicle
member. Since there is depth to the fins 56, 58, the targeting becomes
even more accurate.
In an alternate embodiment, the cylinder 50 and the fins 56, 58 are sized
and shaped so as to create an audible sound as air passes through the
length thereof as the result of movement of the vehicle 10. This audible
sound is preferably designed so as to be in the wavelengths particularly
adapted for animals, such as whistles presently available on automobiles.
In this manner, the alignment sight 24 may also dually function as such a
deer whistle to prevent animal-vehicle collisions at night. On the other
hand, when such a dual function is not desired as in the embodiment
illustrated in FIGS. 2-5, a cover 60 by be positioned over the sight 24,
arm 28 and mounting member 26 when the device 16 in its closed and stored
position. In this manner, debris and other material from the road will not
harm the device 16.
FIGS. 6-7 illustrate an alternate mounting arrangement for the embodiment
previously discussed. In this particular embodiment, a channel 60 is
provided in the rear portion 20 of the mirror 12. As in the previous
embodiment, the alignment sight 24 is secured to the distal end of the
attachment arm 28. Likewise, the attachment arm 28 is secured to a
mounting arm 30. In this instance, however, the mounting arm 30 is firmly
secured to a pair of slide brackets 62, 64 instead of gently pivoted to
the mounting members 32, 34 of the prior embodiment. The side brackets are
62, 64 are sized and shaped so as to slide along the channel 60 in the
directions indicated by the arrow 66. In this manner, if the operational
position of the device 16 is desired, the device 16 is moved outwardly
along the channel 60 until it projects outward from the perimeter of the
mirror 12. Once the alignment sight has been targeted to the appropriate
fixed vehicle member and locked in position, the device 16 may be moved
into its closed or stored position by simply sliding the brackets 62, 64
along the channel 60 until the alignment sight 24 is pulled within the
channel 60 as illustrated in FIG. 6. All the other portions of the device
16 in terms of adjusting the alignment of the sight 24 is the same as in
the previous embodiment.
Yet another embodiment of the present invention includes the permanent
mounting of the alignment sight 24 within a mirror 12. In this particular
embodiment, a notch 68 is provided within the mirror 12, and the sight 24
is positioned therewithin. The notch 68 passes entirely through the mirror
12 so that the fins of the cylinder 50 of the alignment sight 24 are
exposed to the environment at both ends. In this manner, the sight 24 may
function in a dual capacity as an animal warning whistle previously
discussed. The notch 68 may be positioned anywhere along the mirror 12,
although it is preferably positioned along the center lower edge of the
mirror 12 which would tend to minimize the impact on the reflective
surface 22 of the mirror 12.
While the previously preferred embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1-5 disclose
a preferred form of mounting the device 16 to the mirror 12, other
mechanisms may be used to mount the device 16 to the mirror 12. Referring,
by way of example, to FIGS. 9-10, a pair of metal looks 70, 72 are
provided. Each hook 70, 72 includes a base member 74, 76, respectively,
for securing to the edges 78, 80 of the mirror 12. In addition, each hook
70, 72 includes a ledge 82, 84, respectively, for hooking about the front
22 of the mirror 12. The hooks 70, 72 are then secured to each other along
the rear mirror potion 20 by a strap 86 which includes a tightening
mechanism 88 of any desired design. In this embodiment, then, the
alignment sight 24 and the attachment arm 28 are secured to the hook 70
along the base member 74. The attachment arm 28 is securely fixed to the
base member 74, and the distal end of the attachment arm 28 is secured to
the alignment sight 24 in the same manner as previously described. In this
manner, the alignment sight 24 will project outwardly from one side edge
78 of the mirror 12, and will continuously be in an operational position.
This particular embodiment is especially applicable to the combination
device wherein the alignment sight 24 may also act as an animal warning
whistle previously described.
Yet another manner of securing the alignment sight 24 to the mirror 12 is
illustrated in FIGS. 11-13. This particular embodiment is similar to the
embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 9-10 in that that the alignment sight 24
is continuously in an operational position thereby readily functioning, if
it is so desired, in the dual mode as the alignment sight as well as an
animal warring whistle. In this particular embodiment, a frame member 90
is sized and shaped to fit about the entire periphery of the mirror 12 at
the front portion of the mirror 12. In preferred form, the frame 90
includes an outer peripheral band member 92 for surrounding the periphery
of the mirror 12, and a lip 94 that extends inwardly from the outer band
92 so as to cover the outer edge of the front surface 22 of the mirror 12.
In this manner, the frame 90 snugly fits about a mirror 12 by positioning
it from the front of the mirror 12. A strap 96, or any other type of
securing mechanism is provided along the back portion 20 of the mirror 12
so as to securely hold the fame 90 in place. An adjustment mechanism 98 is
provided for securely snuggling the strap 96 about the back 20 of the
mirror 12 so as to hold the frame 90 in place. In this embodiment, the
target sight 24 is secured by an attachment arm 28 to the bottom portion
of the frame 90 in a manner previously described. In this manner, the
alignment sight 24, as in the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 9-10,
projects outwardly from the outer periphery of the mirror 12 without
interfering with the front visual surface 22.
A further embodiment illustrating yet another alternate manner of attaching
the alignment sight 24 to the mirror 12 is illustrated in FIGS. 14-16. In
this embodiment, the attachment arm 28 is secured to a mounting plate 100.
The mounting plate 100 is designed to be secured to an edge of the mirror
12 to project the sight 24 beyond the mirror's perimeter. While the plate
100 may be secured in any manner, it preferably has a self-sticking
surface 102 which adheres firmly to the mirror.
To operate the alignment sight 16 of the present invention, once the mirror
12 has been set at a preestablished position, the device 16 is moved into
its operational position if it is one of the embodiments that is capable
of moving from a stored to an operational position. Once the device 16 is
in its operational position, the thumbscrew 54 is loosened to enable free
movement of the sight cylinder 50. The sight cylinder 50 is then moved
until the fins 56, 58 are lined up with a fixed vehicle member such as the
door lock button 18 of FIG. 1. Once this alignment is accomplished, the
thumbscrew 54 is tightened so as fix the position of the cylinder 50 and
the socket 52 relative to the ball 48 and the alignment arm 28. Once the
thumbscrew 54 fixes this aligned position, the alignment sight 24 is no
longer capable of being moved relative to the attachment arm 28. If the
device 16 is one of the embodiments that is capable of being moved between
an operational and a stored position, the attachment arm 28 and alignment
sight 24 are then moved to the stored position. This alignment of the
sight 24 is, of course, only performed when the mirror 12 is in the
desired operational position for the vehicle driver. Should the mirror 12
subsequently become bumped or jolted from its desired preestablished
position, a vehicle operator simply gets out of his vehicle, moves to the
passenger side of the car, moves the device 16 to its operational
position, and then realigns the fixed alignment sight 24 along with the
attached mirror 12 with the fixed vehicle member 18. Once the alignment
sight 24 is realigned with the fixed vehicle member 18, the mirror 12 is
back in its pre-establish desired position. The device in 16 is then
returned to its stored position, if this feature is available, and
realignment of the mirror 12 has been accomplished. In the embodiments
wherein the alignment sight 24 is constantly exposed to air passing
therethrough due to the forward movement of the vehicle 10, the dual
function of alignment sight and animal whistle may be utilized.
As can be seen from the above, the present invention provides a simple and
efficient means for enabling an operator of a vehicle to easily realign
the external mirrors of his vehicle, and particularly the passenger side
mirror, should such mirrors become moved out of alignment. Moreover, if
the mirror has been adjusted for another driver, the original driver can
simply readjust it to the preestablished position by use of the present
device. The device of the present invention does not require 3-way mirror
systems which add to the possible error as well as complexity and expense
of the device. Moreover, the present invention also provides a dual
function wherein the alignment device, when not being used as an alignment
device, may be also used as an animal warning whistle. In this manner, the
device of the present invention will be consistently serving a useful
function rather than being a device only useful in case the external
mirror has been misaligned. Since the device of the present invention may
be made out of plastic or other inexpensive material, it is inexpensive to
manufacture and use as well as simple to operate. It may be used in the
form of an after market device, or it may be incorporated into the
external mirror of the vehicle at the time the vehicle is manufactured. In
either event, the device of the present invention provides a simple and
inexpensive means for quickly realigning external mirrors without
requiring complex remote control devices sometimes available in present
vehicles. Moreover, on truck mirrors, such remote control devices are not
available. The device of the present invention, however, is available for
all types and sizes of mirrors.
The foregoing description and the illustrative embodiments of the present
invention have been described in detail in varying modifications and
alternate embodiments. It should be understood, however, that the
foregoing description of the present invention is exemplary only, and that
the scope of the present invention is to be limited to the claims as
interpreted in view of the prior art. Moreover, the invention
illustratively disclosed herein suitably may be practiced in the absence
of any element which is not specifically disclosed herein.
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